9 pages.  Includes bibliography.  Intensive outpatient (IOP) programs for substance use disorders (SUDs) offer services to clients seeking primary treatment; step-down care from inpatient, residential, and withdrawal management settings; or step-up treatment from individual or group outpatient treatment. IOP treatment includes a prearranged schedule of core services (e.g., individual counseling, group therapy, family psychoeducation, and case management [CM]) for a minimum of 9 hours per week for adults or 6 hours per week for adolescents.

To help clients fulfill their individualized treatment plan goals, IOP services may incorporate other in-house treatment and peer services, encourage clients’ attendance at mutual-support groups, and collaborate with local community providers to secure needed services (e.g., medication-assisted treatment (MAT), psychological assessments, vocational rehabilitation services, and trauma-specific treatment).  This Advisory, based on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 47, Substance Abuse: Clinical Issues in Intensive Outpatient Treatment, provides an overview of IOP treatment; program goals; key features that improve engagement, retention, and outcomes; and resources.